1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally comprises a surgical instrument count stand for holding, counting, and sterilizing surgical scissors and other ring handle instruments.
2. Description of Related Art
When performing surgical procedures, it is highly desirable to be able to organize, count, and support surgical instruments, such as scissors, needle holders and clamps, prior to and after sterilization. It is also desirable to spread the blades of the scissors prior to sterilization so that the entire surface of the scissors is appropriately cleaned and sterilized. The prior art literature discloses a number of devices to hold surgical scissors for that purpose.
One of the most common prior art devices is referred to as a "stringer". It gets its name from the fact that a rod, or similar mechanism, passes through one of the handles of the surgical scissors as they sit on a rack. Movement of the rod causes the handles of the scissors to move apart thereby spreading the blades for sterilization. Examples of prior art stringer instrument racks can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos.: 3,925,014; 5,137,151; and 5,449,069.
Another category of prior art instrument count racks, or stands, employ a bar which, unlike the stringers, does not pass through one of the handles of the scissors but, instead, pushes the handles away from each other. Examples of such prior art devices can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos.: 4,342,391; 4,577,755; and 4,865,821.
A variation on the foregoing is a movable wedge or bracket mechanism that cams the scissors apart using an inclined plane or similar surface. Such a device is described, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,229,420.
More recently, computerized devices have been employed to count and sterilize instruments. They are, however, relatively complex and expensive. Note, for example, the surgical count stand described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,939.
Lastly, there are a variety of passive instrument count stands that hold the instruments in position but do not necessarily assist in spreading the blades. Examples of the foregoing are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,564,662; 4,541,992; 4,643,303; 5,284,632; 5,451,380; and 5,433,929.
One of the major difficulties with prior art instrument count stands is that surgical scissors come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. A stand that might be appropriate for one size scissors may be totally inappropriate for another size. Also, many prior art instrument count stands require several steps, or procedures, in order to spread the scissors. For example, prior art "stringer" instrument stands require that each of the individual handles be strung over a rod. Insofar as understood, none of the prior art appears to hint, teach or suggest an instrument count stand that will adequately work with a wide variety of different scissors sizes and in which the steps of holding, spreading and locking can be essentially done in one simple movement of a handle. It was in the context of the foregoing prior art that the present invention arose.